The Case of the Missing Men is volume one in the graphic novel Hobtown Mystery Stories and follows a high school Detective Club that solves crimes around Hobtown (population: 2,006). When the Club gets their first real case to solve, they start to uncover weird things happening under the surface of their town. The Case of the Missing Men is for everyone who grew up on Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, especially those who thought, “Hey, why are so many weird things happening to these kids?”
| Title: Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1, The Case of the Missing Men | Writer: Kris Bertin Illustrator: Alexander Forbes |
| Release Date: April 23, 2024 | Genre: Horror / Mystery |
| Publisher: Oni Press | Page Count: 312 |
Synopsis
“Powerfully rendered” –The New York Times
“ …a weirdly warm-hearted nightmare.” –Booklist (Starred Review)
“…an exceptional, odd mystery.” –Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
Perfect for fans of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Hardy Boys mysteries, The Hobtown Mystery Stories take the teen investigator genre to new levels as they explore small town identity and the surreal.
Welcome to Hobtown, a charmingly bleak village (Population: 2,006) and an easy place to get bored if you don’t make your own fun.
Hobtown Regional High’s top girl, Dana Nance, runs the Teen Detective Club—a registered after-school program that makes it their business to investigate each and every one of their town’s bizarre occurrences including pagan secret societies, psychic assaults, and possible “wee man” sightings. Their small world of missing pets and shed fires is turned upside down when real-life kid adventurer and globetrotter Sam Finch comes to town and enlists them in their first real case: the search for his missing father. Something strange is going on, and no one in Hobtown will talk about it. It turns out Sam’s dad is the sixth man to go missing this year. The rot runs deep in Hobtown, and it’s up to the teen detectives and associates to stay alive long enough to crack the Case of the Missing Men!
Childhood friends Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes have built a truly unique and discrete universe in Hobtown—an exploration of small town identity drawing from the world of pulp, filtered through a lens of esoteric spirituality, skewed genre tropes, deft character work, and an incredible eye for detail.
Review:
Dana Nance and her rag-tag Detective Club friends go where Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys never could have dreamed. When six men in town go missing, the son of the latest missing man asks the Detective Club to investigate. With their first serious case on their hands and things not quite adding up, the Club digs further into the underbelly of Hobtown. What they discover is a town full of coverups, secret alliances, and supernatural creatures.
The Case of the Missing Men is weird and subversive, adding an uncanny twist to a story steeped in nostalgia. Somehow Missing Men manages to be 312 pages with very few, if any, stumbles or misses. With a cover that oozes a pulpy vibe and calls on classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, The Case of the Missing Men delivers on all fronts. It’s simultaneously a cozy teenage mystery and a darkly bizarre supernatural fête.
Man, I loved this book. The Case of the Missing Men is perfect for those who gobbled up shows like Riverdale, The Society, Twin Peaks, and classic Veronica Mars. If you enjoy irreverent Weird Fiction, you’ll want to join the Hobtown crew. I’ll be sitting here eagerly awaiting more in this series.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with an advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own.
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